Munich. One day after the announcement that BMW is to join the
FIA Formula E Championship as official manufacturer from Season 5
(2018/19), preparations are running flat out for two truly special
races on this year’s calendar: New York City will host rounds 9 and
10 of the FIA Formula E Championship, on 15th and 16th July. The
all-electric races, where BMW works driver António Félix da Costa
(POR) and Robin Frijns (NED) will compete with BMW supported MS
Amlin Andretti cars, headline the first major motor racing event
ever to take place in the Big Apple.
The Challenge
The United States has hosted Formula E races in previous years,
but this season New York takes centre stage. The circuit is located in
Red Hook, Brooklyn, alongside the Hudson River, with the classic
Manhattan skyline providing the scenery. The MS Amlin Andretti team
will look to return to the points in America – home race for the
Andretti team – after a tough race in Germany. Félix da Costa and
Frijns have both scored points during the season, mostly recently
Frijns’ top-six score in Paris (FRA), and hard work between races aims
to ensure further progress in New York City.
The Team
MS Amlin Andretti races the ATEC-002 in Season 3, with Félix da
Costa and Frijns in its two entries – Frijns in number 27 and Félix da
Costa in number 28. BMW will provide expertise and support to the
American team as it runs its own powertrain for the first time in
Season 3, having run the standard Formula E technology in the first
two seasons.
Fans can vote to give their favourite driver a ‘FanBoost’ – an
extra energy allocation, available in the second half of the race –
online. The three drivers with the most votes receive an extra 100KJ
of energy, which can boost power by up to 30KW. There are two methods:
voting on fanboost.fiaformulae.com, or by using the hashtag #FanBoost,
plus #AntonioFelixdaCosta or #RobinFrijns, on Twitter or Instagram.
The Expectations
António Félix da Costa, MS Amlin Andretti: “Racing in
New York City is very special, and even more so because I’m driving in
the Andretti team. We’re the first FIA series to race in New York, and
we’re very honoured about that. Personally, to have been part of this
series for most of its life, I feel very proud of everything that’s
being achieved. On the performance side, we’ve worked extremely hard
between events to improve our performance and hopefully get some
decent results.”
Robin Frijns, MS Amlin Andretti: “It’s the first time
for me visiting the big city of New York, so it’s going to be a new
experience. The track looks really narrow, so it’s going to be a tough
race, especially keeping the car away from the walls. We had a bit of
a break after Berlin, so we are really looking forward to getting back
on track and scoring good points with both cars at the home race for Andretti.”
The City
New York City is arguably the most famous metropolis of the
Americas, one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and
home to many global cultural centres. The Brooklyn district has
received an upsurge in investment and comes with a trendy reputation.
High tech start-ups and avant-garde design rub shoulders with
franchises from basketball’s NBA and ice hockey’s NHL – the Brooklyn
Nets and New York Islanders respectively.
The Circuit
Sited on the waterfront of the Hudson River at Red Hook, the two
races will take place around long-standing industrial buildings in the
area. It’s totally new to the calendar and is thus something of an
unknown to teams and drivers. Drivers can expect the tight track and
its rough surface to present challenges, but there are several good
opportunities for overtaking. Turns one and six are tight hairpins
with heavy braking, and turn five follows a long flat out section –
again with a heavy braking zone. Unconventionally, the pitlane is not
in line with the start straight, with cars entering the pitlane just
before, and exiting just after turn five.
The BMW i Vehicle Fleet
For Season 3, BMW i remains the “Official Vehicle Partner” for
the FIA Formula E Championship. The BMW i8 (fuel consumption combined:
2.1 l/100 km / 134.5 mpg imp; CO2 emissions combined: 49 g/km) will
continue as the high-performance, efficient Safety Car in Formula E.
The same goes for the BMW i3 (energy consumption combined: 12.9 kWh;
CO2 emissions combined: 0 g/km), which is the “Medical Car” and “Race
Director Car” and for the BMW X5 xDrive40e (fuel consumption combined:
3.4–3.3 l/100 km / 83.1–85.6 mpg imp; CO2 emissions combined: 78–77
g/km; figures based on the EU test cycle, may vary depending on the
tyre format specified), which functions as the “Rescue Car”.